Flying High

I have some family news. I just got this news and I am so excited about it, I thought I would share. My brother-in-law, John, applied for and interviewed for an incredible job within the Air Force. He found out recently that he got the job. His next Air Force assignment will be at Andrews AFB, MD flying Gulfstreams for the First Lady, the Vice President of the US, and other high ranking government officials (cabinet members, etc). I don't really know too much about prestige in the Air Force. However, I do know that I am so impressed! Isn't that incredible?!

For those of you interested, here's a couple links about the Air Force planes he will be flying:

C-20
C-37A

Popping Smoke

I really cannot remember who I have told about my blog and who I haven't. I also do not know if I have told everyone that is reading my blog about Seth's upcoming job change.

If you don't know, Seth is getting out of the Army. He has officially turned in his paperwork and it is making its way up through the Army bureaucracy.

Seth has started a blog about his transition out of the Army. It is called Popping Smoke. You should check it out. If nothing else, you have to figure out the reason for the blog title.

Beach House

This past weekend Seth and I were able to take a break just the two of us. We stayed at a Beach House in Gig Harbor. When Seth was about to redeploy (return from Iraq) a friend of mine offered us the use of her parents' house in Gig Harbor. My sweet friend emphasised how small it was and did not mention that it was right on the water. We planned our trip 2 different times before the year ended but it just didn't work out. The 2nd time we almost got away but the night before out trip a storm hit that resulted in the 'great WA power outage' (we, as well as much of western Washingon, were out of power for 3 days). It was right before that storm that found out the house was on the beach. I was so surprised. For us, it really wouldn't have mattered where we were going...just having a retreat together after being apart so long was going to be incredible. We were so delighted and surprised by the beach house. Our weekend was amazing. I had 2 friends that split the weekend watching the boys. They brought their children along. The boys were thrilled about the 'sleep over weekend.' They didn't mind at all when we left (except Thomas- but he did great once we were gone.) The boys enjoyed an exciting weekend of playing with friends, staying up a little later than normal and eating treats like Oreos. Seth and I just enjoyed a lot of quiet! The place was peaceful. And, for Washington in March we were blessed with decent weather (meaning: clouds with a few moments where the sun peaked out and NO RAIN!)

We were so thankful for the weekend. We are so grateful to our giving friends. There is really no way to thank them enough for the gift of place and childcare for a weekend. It was a real blessing!

The Beach House

The View

Seth and I (we set up the timer on the camera for this shot)

34 months

After 34 months, Seth changed command (left his "company command" postion) today. There was a Change of Command ceremony at Fort Lewis. He made an outstanding speech. I couldn't have been more honored and proud of him. He did such an incredible job commanding his company of around 200 people (give or take some throughout the months). He is a great leader. He lead his company to success in their missions. He brought them strength and served them as a strong leader as they prepared for, went and returned from Iraq. So many people have told me that they are going to miss having him as commander. I know one of the many reasons- and perhaps the strongest reason- is that Seth truly cares about people. He cared about his company...but more than that... he cared about each soldier and the soldier's family. When you care about people, you touch their lives. I can tell you that Seth touched many lives throughout his tenure as Company Commander. He honored me during his speech and gave me credit for my work with the company's family support group. His words were heartfelt and touching. He honored me even more by the way he served his company-- with heart and strong passionate leadership.

I cannot end this post without mentionign that right before the Change of Command ceremony, Seth was promoted from Captain to Major.

As soon as I can, I will post some pictures of the ceremony.